Hikari Tropical Algae Wafers for Bottom Feeding Herbivorous Fish Food

Photo provided by FlickrDid you know that fish food causes most pond problems for beginners?

We have noticed that foul water, unnecessary product purchases often in the hundreds of dollars and so much wasted time are spent fixing the effects of feeding pond fish. Yes goldfish and koi. The biggest problem from new pond owners we find is usually water clarity or algae.

The natural diet of goldfish and koi is algae and bug larvae. You don’t need mosquito fish, goldfish and koi will eat most of the mosquito eggs and larvae in a pond and actually dragonflies lay eggs and there larvae eat almost all mosquito larvae where no fish are present.

Now when we begin feeding fish goldfish and koi pellets a couple things happen. 1st they begin to lay off eating the algae and keeping the pond clean. For every handful of fish food you throw into the pond imagine getting about 20 handfuls of algae production for that handful. The fish become contributors to pond waste, when there are not enough plants to remove that fish food (or fish excretion) within 12 hours, sunlight+water+fish waste will become algae.

Most homeowners do not have filter systems that can handle a handful of fish food each day and certainly not 2 or 3 handfuls. Now I know you want to "see my fish or kids love to feed them. If you can feed the fish just a couple pellets once or twice a week. The fish never know "when" they will actually be getting food so they will always come up and appear to be looking forward to it. Once folks begin to grow algae or get foul green looking water they make all kinds of odd purchases like algaefix, algaeaway, UV sterilizers.

The chemicals last 1-4 days. You can successfully kill the algae but unless the biomass is removed from the pond entirely after the chemical dissipates guess what dead algae (nutrients) + water + sunlight create. Yup algae blooms again. Now you are stuck in a cycle of buying chemicals, clarifies, and testing water.

Sounds like a wonderful place for those fish you love. Our suggestion. Feeding light is ok (2-3 times per week is plenty). Add enough clarifying plants to remove that biomass from the pond. Hornwort the submerged grass is one of the best filters. Plant a few strands in small gravel pots at the bottom on your pond in multiple areas. Use waterlilies (potted) and floating plants to cover 50-60% of the ponds surface. The plants help in 2 ways. 1. They remove the nitrites (fish waste) from the pond before algae begins to grow. 2. The shade from these plants is an inhibitor of algae, algae loves sunlight.Photo provided by Flickr

This is a really fascinating form of algae that looks like a golf ball covered in green moss. It comes from large lakes in Europe and Japan, where it rolls around at the shore of the lake. They make excellent food for fish, and I’ve had success using them with many different fish. They always grow in a round shape. The fish are always nibbling on them, and yet they never eat them completely. These can be expensive but are well worth the price.
Photo provided by FlickrPhoto provided by FlickrPhoto provided by FlickrThe findings, which appear in the open-access journal , are a major breakthrough in the quest to develop sustainable, fish-free feeds for aquaculture, the world's fastest growing food sector. The Dartmouth study is the first report of a marine microalgae species being successfully used as a complete replacement of fish oil in feed for Nile tilapia, which thrived on the new diet and bulked up despite eating less. A PDF is available on request.Spirulina is a type of blue-green algae that can be a great supplement for your fish that are primarily herbivores. What is the benefit of spirulina? It contains many amino and fatty acids that are the building blocks for proteins. It is also usually vitamin enriched. Fish such as , and will really benefit from a diet supplemented with fish food. It should help make your fish more regular with their bowel movements.

Use of Algae as Aquafeed to Improve Production in ..

HerbivoresIt is common for fish that graze on algae in the wild to suffer in captivity because they don’t receive the appropriate type of food to keep them healthy. Many of these fish (tangs and angelfish, for example) are fed terrestrial greens like spinach and romaine lettuce, but these are not appropriate foods for these fish that are solely algae eaters. They should be fed either dried or fresh algae. Dried algae is sold in paper-thin sheets that can be broken down into appropriate portion sizes, depending on the number of fish you are feeding. Fresh algae can be obtained by placing a glass container, with one rock from your aquarium in it, on a sunny windowsill. Wait for the rock to grow a nice layer of algae, and then place it back in the aquarium for your fish to graze on.